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http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Rhetoric_and_Composition/Description Description Genre Analysis, Genre and Composition While "the modes" (description, narration, analysis) have long been productive categories for student writers to work with, since the publication of Carolyn Miller's "Genre as Social Action" (1984), many writing teachers have begun to think that understanding genre can be a place to begin in planning what to write. Genre Analysis Often Consists of Gathering Samples of Genres and Asking: *Is it a genre? Is it considered one by its users? Does it have a name? *What type of genre is it? (A speech genre? A gesture genre? A written genre?) *Where is the genre in circulation and use? *Who is involved? Do participants have different roles in the genre? *Are there conventions in the genre? Is it highly conventional? *What are the roles of invention, imitation, originality, and plagiarism in this genre? *Is it a rigid genre or flexible genre? *Is it a regulatory genre? *What social action gets performed through this genre? *Does the genre interact with and/or "help" produce other genres? *How has the genre changed? What is Description? Description is the process by which a writer describes things he or she senses in order to evoke those same senses in the reader. Consequently, much of descriptive language makes use of sensory language, or language that appeals to one or more of the five senses (touch, sight, smell, taste, and sound). As a descriptive writer, the more accurately you are able to describe what you have sensed, the more your audience will be engaged with the text. Grammatically speaking, description uses nouns and adjectives in order to most specifically and efficiently describe a particular sense. You may use description in order to allow your reader to truly sense what you are writing about, and therefore make the language more powerful for them. Much of description deals with making the abstract more concrete. For example, the abstract idea of freedom may have many definitions for different readers. When described in terms of the freedom given slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation, however, the idea of freedom becomes much more concrete. Description then, in general, is used by writers in order to allow their respective audience to see exactly what they are talking about. Why Write a Descriptive Essay? The point of a descriptive essay is to make the reader feel through his/her five senses. If the writer is trying to convey something that is scary or exciting, then he/she will do so by using concrete descriptions. These concrete descriptions will cause the reader to remember specific images, leaving a long-standing memory. Think of a descriptive essay as a way of writing a television show or a movie. At no time can a movie show beautiful. It must show what 'beautiful' is through images. A writer usually begins an essay with an opinion. He or she wants to persuade the reader with an idea like nature is worth experiencing or that ice cream is a tasty treat. What are descriptions that could cause the reader to want to eat ice cream? Would sweet sound appetizing? Would comparisons to other foods, such as a cherry, be used to convince the reader that the ice cream is worth trying? When you have begun to think in this fashion, then you are ready to start your essay. Think of an emotion. Then write the emotion. Abstract Descriptions Versus Concrete Descriptions As was briefly touched upon in the last section, it is best to avoid vague, abstract descriptions. For example, a writer may use beautiful to describe a tree. However, beautiful provides little for the reader to see. Instead, a concrete adjective or modifier will be stronger and have a greater impact. The reader needs to see images, not get an interpretation. Here's a reworked description of the tree: "the sun's rays reflected off the tree's rain-doused leaves, as the afternoon sky dipped into evening." The beautiful qualities of the tree are revealed through concrete details. The feeling of the environment is implied and not told. Abstract Descriptions Abstractions are often ideas that cannot be seen, heard, touched, or smelled. Examples of abstract descriptions: * the sad man * the happy woman * the beautiful dog * a lovely house * an amazing sight Concrete Descriptions A concrete description can be seen, heard, touched, or smelled. Examples of concrete details: * the crunching sound * the melted candy cane * the burnt toast * the flashing light * the smooth butter There are appropriate times to use abstractions. For instance, if the reader is already aware of the circumstances (i.e., a writer is referring to a passage from a novel, in which the audience knows of a certain event) then the writer can generalize the emotion. However, especially in creative works such as fiction and poetry, it is best to turn the abstract into the concrete. How to Write Description In order to write descriptively, you must take a topic and decide how to make that topic most vivid for your audience. If the topic of the piece is merely to describe a particular place, you must decide what elements of that place, when described in text, will become most vivid for your audience. The first step in any descriptive writing is to choose a topic and begin to work out a thesis statement. As was suggested in the previous sections, you may choose to describe a particular place. Thesis Sample Thesis Statement: Although Minnesota may seem drab and cold to outsiders, natives of the state find it a wonderful place to live. We can see in this thesis statement that the writer will attempt to show the aspects of Minnesota that make it a great place to live. After detailing a thesis statement, you should come up with a list of sensory words that provide vivid detail and support the thesis. You may start by thinking about the five senses. How does your particular place look, smell, feel, taste, and sound like? How can you best describe these senses so the reader feels what you feel? By organizing the elements of descriptive language into easier to handle sections, like the five senses, you are able to more specifically engage in what elements of the description are most useful. Sensory Words Examples of Sensory Words: Examples of Sound Imagery *Quiet solitude *Grasshoppers chirping at night *Trees rustling in the wind *The howl of a wolf *Birds singing *Leaves crunching *Fire crackling Examples of Smell Imagery *Chlorine at a pool *Freshly cut grass *Flowers in spring *Morning dew, *Freshly baked banana bread, *Acrid-campfire smoke. Examples of Touch Imagery *Snow falling on your nose *Sandpaper *Paper-like birch bark *Sand beneath your feet *Falling off water skis Example of Visual Imagery *The brilliant rays of sunset *The churning blue waterfall *Powerful deer racing across the field *Clean snow falling softly in the sun *Corn stalks rustling in the breeze Examples of Taste Imagery *Lutefisk or Lefsa during the Holidays *Steaming, bitter black coffee *Fresh, succulent strawberries *Crunchy chocolate chip cookies *Cotton candy, sweetly melting in your mouth After deciding what senses you wish to invoke, make a list of all the words you wish to include. You should also begin to plan a way to present the information that will drive home the thesis statement in the most profound way. Order Example of Order of Presentation: The writer in this case could choose to present the positive aspects of Minnesota in terms of the seasons and weather changes. The details could be presented linearly, starting with spring and going through the winter, highlighting the aspects of each season that most closely support the thesis, that Minnesota is a great place to live. Prior to starting the essay, give some thought as to whom the audience of your piece will be. Who is going to read the essay, and what effect would you like it to have upon them? An awareness of audience is important to choosing the level of formality you take with your writing. Knowing your audience will also help you distinguish which details to include throughout your essay. Assume that your audience knows very little or nothing about your subject matter, and include details that may seem very obvious to you. Audience Example Audience: In this particular essay, the writer wants to show an outsider to the state why Minnesota natives are so happy to live there. The essay should help break down stereotypes for those outsiders about Minnesota's cold weather and apparent drabness. Because the essay is designed for those who do not live in Minnesota, and maybe have never been there, it is important to include details about the state that may seem obvious to a native. With the preparatory work complete, it is time now to begin writing your essay. Use your thesis statement to begin to construct an introductory paragraph. The introduction should set up the basis for your essay, and the thesis statement should state its purpose. Introduction Example Introduction: Many who have not traveled to the state of Minnesota only hear of its cold weather and boring reputation. They are sure missing out on the great opportunities that Minnesota affords. Each season offers different senses that native Minnesotans and tourists know and love. Although Minnesota may seem drab and cold to outsiders, natives of the state find it a wonderful place to live. With the introduction complete, it is time to start constructing the body paragraphs of your essay. Each body paragraph should have a central theme in itself, and that theme should be represented in a topic sentence. Consequently, each sentence of the paragraph should relate to and support the topic sentence. The body paragraphs are where the majority of the details should be represented. When writing the first draft of your descriptive essay, include as many details as is reasonably possible. You can always eliminate the ones that do not serve the essay as well when you are revising your draft. In the case of the Minnesota-nature essay, we have decided to set up the body paragraphs in terms of season, starting with spring. Body Example Body Paragraph: Spring in Minnesota brings new life to the state after the long winter season. The rain washes the landscape clean, leaving its fresh aroma for all to enjoy. The flowers soak up the golden sun's rays and begin to show their vibrant colors. The first birds can be seen and heard throughout the woods and fields, telling their stories in beautiful songs. The lakes begin to show their glossy finish as the ice melts away slowly under the heat of the season. With the body paragraphs complete, it is time to bring the essay to a close with the conclusion. The conclusion should return back to the thesis and provide coherence to the essay. The conclusion should restate the main points of the essay in order to give the reader a final sense of what the essay was meant to portray. There should not be any new material introduced in the conclusion, and the way it is worded should give the reader a sense of finality. Conclusion Example Conclusion: By examining what each of the seasons in Minnesota has to offer, it becomes clear that the state is a truly wonderful place to live or visit. Minnesota is much more than the cold and drab state that many people give it credit for. One visit to the state and anyone can see the great things about Minnesota. With the essay complete, it is time to reread and revise your essay (see also revision sections of this textbook). Read your first draft and pinpoint all of the descriptor words you used. If possible, go back and add more after the ones you already used in the essay. If you can, read your essay out loud to a friend and have them tell you what images are vivid for them, and what images are a little more cloudy. Rework any images that are cloudy with more descriptions. Also check to see if your descriptions have made use of all of the five senses: sound, smell, texture, sight, taste. Repeat these steps as many times as necessary until you are happy with your product. A Second Sample Descriptive Essay First Draft Second Draft External Links * A Brief Guide to Writing Descriptive Essays * Checklist of Things to Consider when Writing Descriptive Essays. * Generating Sensory Details